


Phone calls from nowhere

by ArivFroso, KagomeBenihime



Series: Treat for The Trickster [17]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean gets ghost calls, M/M, Monster of the Week, Sam just wants to help, times running out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:40:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23448691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArivFroso/pseuds/ArivFroso, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KagomeBenihime/pseuds/KagomeBenihime
Summary: Sam and Dean start investigating a case of a strange suicide caused by a strangephone call. Before long, Dean starts getting calls himself.
Relationships: Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Series: Treat for The Trickster [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/753126
Comments: 5
Kudos: 67





	Phone calls from nowhere

Sam walked back to the others in the small grassy park. Gabriel was flopped on the grass enjoying the sun while Dean was sitting on a bench nearby, talking on the phone.

"Oh boy…" Gabriel said, seeing Sam's face "Looks like it didn't pan out."   
  
Dean grunted slightly in acknowledgment before going back to the call. "Yep. I got it. Okay, bye."   
  
Dean hung up. In one motion he picked up and threw an unopened can of soda to Sam before standing up and shoving the last of the food he was eating into his mouth.    
  
"So?" Dean managed around his mouthful of burger.   
  
Sam sighed. "So, the professor doesn't know crap."   
  
Dean pretended to be surprised. "Shocking." He slapped Sam's arm. "Pack your panties, Sammy, we're hitting the road."   
  
"What?" Sam asked, surprised. "What's up?"   
  
"That was Bobby," Dean said. "Some banker guy blew his head off in Ohio and he thinks there's a spirit involved."   
  
Sam's eyebrows came down. "So you two were talking a case?"   
  
Dean looked at Sam, his voice going sarcastic. "No, we were actually talking about our feelings. And then our favourite boy bands. Yeah, we were talking a case!"   
  
Sam sighed. "So a spirit, what?"   
  
Dean shrugged. "Yeah, the banker was talking about some sort of electrical problems at his pad for like a week. Phone was going haywire, computer was flipping on and off."   
  
Sam looked puzzled. "Huh…"   
  
Dean raised an eyebrow. "This is not ringing your bell?"   
  
"Well, sure, yeah," Sam said. "But, Dean, we're already on a case."   
  
"Whose?" Dean asked in surprise.   
  
"Yours," Sam said, looking at Dean worriedly.

Dean scoffed. "Right. Yeah. Well, you coulda fooled me."   
  
"What the hell else have we been doing lately other than trying to break your "deal"?" Sam asked.   
  
Dean rolled his eyes. "Chasing our tails, that's what." He sighed. "Sam, we've talked to every professor, witch, soothsayer and two-bit carny act in the lower 48. Nobody knows squat! And we can't find Ruby, we can't find the Colt. So until we actually find something, I'd like to do my job."   
  
"Well there's one thing we haven't tried yet…" Sam said.   
  
Dean glared. "Sam, no."   
  
"We should summon another demon," Sam said.   
  
Dean turned away slightly. "I'm not gonna have this fight with you," he said softly.   
  
"We can try and make another deal," Sam tried to reason.   
  
Dean shook his head. "We aren't getting out of this ok?"

"You can't know that," Sam said.

"I do know that!" Dean said sharply. "This is the way it is and its not changing!"   
  
They stared at each other in silence for a long moment before Sam turned away.   
  
"Now where you going?" Dean called after him.   
  
"Guess I'm going to Ohio," Sam said.

Gabriel sighed. Things had been getting more heated between the two lately. He got up and followed Sam with Dean. "This will work out…" he said softly. Dean grunted but didn't reply.

They made their way to Ohio, heading to the house and talking to the man's wife.   
  
"I found him there," she said softly, pointing to a spot near the desk.   
  
"Why don't you tell us everything you saw, Mrs. Waters," Dean said, pulling out a notebook as if to take notes.   
  
"You mean beside my dead husband?" she asked icily.   
  
"Just everything else you saw. Please," Sam said soothingly.   
  
Mrs. Waters sighed. "Blood. Everywhere. The phone was ripped from the wall, his favourite scotch on the desk… What else could you possibly want to know?"   
  
"Why was the phone ripped from the wall?" Sam asked.   
  
"I don't know," she replied.   
  
"You mind if I take a look?" Sam asked.   
  


"I already went over this with the other detectives," Mrs. Waters said, looking upset.   
  
"We'll be out of your hair in no time, ma'am," Gabriel said.   
  
Sam looked through the phone slightly. "Ma'am, what time did your husband die?"   
  
Mrs Waters sighed. "Sometime after 11."   
  
Sam waited until Dean looked at him, then tapped the phone display.  _ There's something that's been erased, _ he told Gabriel.   
  
"What about strange phone calls?" Dean asked. "Receive any of those lately, weird interference, static, anything like that?"   
  
Mrs. Waters folded her arms. "No," she said defensively. Dean raised his eyebrows at her. "No!" she repeated sharply.   
  
"Mrs. Waters, withholding information from the police is a capital offence," Dean said, trying to sound threatening.   
  
Sam cleared his throat sharply, giving Dean a bitchface.

"In some parts of the world I'm sure," Dean muttered under his breath.   
  
Mrs. Waters sighed. "A couple of weeks ago, uh....there was this…"   
  
"This what?" Gabriel prompted.   
  
"I woke up one morning," she said hesitantly. "I heard Ben in his study. I thought he was talking to a woman."   
  
"What made you think that?" Sam asked.   
  
"Because he kept calling her Linda," she replied. "The thing is, I picked up the other line and nobody was there. Ben was talking to nobody."   
  
"There was nothing?" Gabriel asked.   
  
"Just static," Mrs. Waters said with a nod.   
  
Sam nodded slightly. "Did you ever speak to Ben about this phone call?"   
  
"No," she said softly. "I should have but...no."   
  
"Did he ever say who Linda was?" Gabriel asked.   
  
"What difference does it make?" she asked sharply. "There was nobody on the other end!"   
  
The three exchange a look before thanking her and heading back to the hotel. Dean sat at his laptop. Sam was sitting on one of the beds.    
  
"Linda's a babe," Dean said, before correcting, "Or, was."   
  
Sam sat up. "Did you find her?"   
  
Dean nodded. "Yeah, Linda Bateman. She and Ben Waters were high school sweethearts."   
  
Gabriel came over from the minibar with a handful of candy bars. "So what happened?"   
  
"Drunk driver hit them head on," Dean said, showing them the article. "Ben walked away."   
  
Sam looked confused. "So, what then? Dead flame calls to chat?"   
  
"You would think," Dean said. "but Linda was cremated. So why's she still floating around?"   
  
Sam shrugged. "You got me."   
  
"What about that, uh, caller I.D?" Dean asked.   
  
"It's a phone number," Gabriel chimed in.   
  
Dean scoffed. "No phone number I've ever seen."   
  
"That's because it's about a century old," Gabriel said. "Back when phones had cranks. I had a number like that myself once."   
  
Dean decided to ignore that last bit. "So why use that number to reach out and touch someone?"   
  
"Got me there," Sam said. "But we should put a trace on it."   
  
"Well how the hell are we going to put a trace on something that's over 100 years old?" Dean asked.

"That's easy," Gabriel said and both brothers looked at him quizzically. "Well, it's a phone number," Gabriel said patiently. "So, let's ask the phone company."   
  
They drove over to the company building and Dean and Sam talked to the supervisor as Gabriel looked around the lobby. Then they followed a suited man down the stairs and along a hallway. 

"We don't get many folks from HQ down here," the weasley, gray haired man said.

"Yes well the main office mentioned that there would be a lunch," Dean said dryly.

Sam gave Dean a bitchface behind the man's back. Dean shrugged and Gabriel suppressed a chuckle.

The supervisor smiled tightly. "Well I'm sure we can arrange something. The man you wanna be speaking to is right this…"

Sam swatted at a fly that had flown into his hair. Gabriel caught it and teleported it away discreetly.

"I know, sorry. We've got something of a hygiene issue down here if you ask me," the supervisor said sourly before entering the basement office. "Stewie? What did I tell you about keeping this place clean."

The operator, Stewie, was sitting at a large console with multiple screens and keyboards. Various packets and junk food were strewn around, along with half eaten hamburgers on the desk. Stewie sat forward quickly and desperately tried to close down the multiple screens in front of him showing ads for porn sites.

"Spam mail," Stewie muttered. "Spam mail…"

The other man sighed. "Stewie Myers. Mr. Campbell. Mr. Raimi."

Stewie was still trying to close the windows, not really acknowledging any of them. "I don't know how all this got here…"

The supervisor reached out and flicked the back of Stewie's head, making him jump again and grunt. "From headquarters?" The man emphasized, glaring at him.

Stewie turned, spinning around in his chair, before quickly crossing his legs and placing his hands together on his lap.

"Give these gentlemen whatever they need," the supervisor said.

Stewie nodded quickly. "Yeah."

Dean nodded. "Thank you."

"Thanks," Sam said. Gabriel nodded too before the other man left.

Stewie shifted slightly, looking uncomfortable. "So....can I help you?"

Dean checked to make sure the supervisor was gone before gesturing toward one of the screen with a smirk. "Is that, uh, BustyAsianBeauties.com?"

"No," Stewie said quickly before the computer said 'Oh, me so horny.' Stewie turned quickly and clicked out of the window. "Maybe," he said softly.

"A word to the wise?" Dean said sagely. "Platinum membership? Worth every penny. Ha?" 

Gabriel chuckled as Sam bitchfaced at Dean again before clearing his throat. "Right, anyway. We're here to trace a number?" Sam handed Stewie a piece of paper.

"Where did you get this?" Stewie asked, looking confused.

"Off a caller I.D.," Sam said.

Stewie chuckled. "Oh no, that's impossible."

"It hasn't been used in a few years," Dean said. "We know."

Stewie scoffed. "A few years? It's prehistoric. Trust me, nobody is using this number anymore."

"A few people have been pestered by calls from this number and we need to see how many more," Gabriel said.

"So, could you run it anyway?" Sam asked

"Sure," Stewie said snarkily. "Why don't I just rearrange my whole life first."

The trio glanced at each other before Gabriel leaned forward slightly with a grin.

"Listen, uh, Stewie. You got like six kinds of employee code violations down here, not to mention the sickening porn that is clogging up your hard drive. Now when my partner here says run the number, I suggest you run the number."

The brothers gave Stewie a hard look.

He looked between the three, then turned back to his console. "Okay, whatever, jeez!"

Stewie clicked a few more buttons. One of his screens filled with a long list of numbers. "Holy crap," he whispered in surprise.

"What?" Sam asked curiously.

"I can't tell you where the number comes from," Stewie said, hitting print on the page, "but I can tell you where it's been going."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

Stewie handed the printed out paper to Sam. "Ten different numbers in the past few weeks, all got calls from this same number." He looked between Sam and Dean, as they shared a knowing look, before clearing his throat. "So, are we done here?" Stewie asked. "Cause I was… sort of… busy?"

Dean smirked. "Right."

\---

The guys split up after that, Sam getting a rental car and Gabriel, with a grin, riding away on a bubble gum pink moped to check with the different people on the list.

Sam and Gabriel made it back a few minutes before Dean, who came in with a groan. "Dude, stiffs have been calling people all over town."

Sam scoffed. "Yeah, tell me about it..." 

"You have no idea…" Gabriel sighed from his spot, spread eagled on Sam's and his bed. "I talked to an 84 year old grandmother who's having phone sex with her husband, who died in Korea!"

Dean and Sam both pulled a face. "Eww."

"Redefines the definition of 'Necrophilia'," Dean muttered.

Sam gave his brother the bitch face before sighing. "What the hell is going on here?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I can think of a few things that would do this kinda thing… can't narrow it down until I know a bit more…"

"Like what?" Sam asked curiously.

Gabriel hummed thoughtfully. "Kitsunes can slightly, some fairies, leprechauns, brownies…" He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "There are more but… the others are pretty rare…" 

"And the ones you mentioned aren't?" Dean asked.

Gabriel chuckled, "What do you think?"

Dean opened his mouth to reply when a sudden ring made them jump. Dean pulled out his phone. "Yeah?" he answered, still partly distracted by Gabriel's question before he sat up straight, eyes wide. "....Dad?"

Several things happened at once: Gabriel sat up quickly, eyes fixed on the phone, Sam stood in surprise, and the call dropped.

"Dad? Hello?" Dean asked again before sighing and lowering the phone. "Call dropped," he mumbled.

"Was it Dad?" Sam asked. "What did he sound like?"

"Like Oprah!" Dean snapped. "It sounded like dad. Why else would I have said 'dad'?"

"Did he say anything?" Gabriel asked.

Dean shrugged. "Just my name…"

"Why would he call in the first place, Dean?" Sam asked softly.

"I don't know, man," Dean said, running a hand through his hair. "Why are ghosts calling anyone in this town? But I mean… other people are hearing from their loved ones...why can't we? It's at least a possibility, right?"

"Yeah… I guess…" Sam said, looking worried.

They sat in silence for a moment before Dean swallowed slightly and spoke again. "Okay, so… what if… what if it really is dad? What happens if he calls back?

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"What do I say?" Dean clarified.

Gabriel shrugged. "Hello."

Dean looked at the archangel in disbelief. "Hello? That's what you come back with. Hello?"

"Isn't that what you normally say to someone on the phone?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dean grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, muttering.

Sam watching him go with a look of concern.

"Did I say something?" Gabriel asked.

"You know Dean," Sam said softly after the door slammed shut. "He never really got over dad dying, going to Hell, to save him. He… I think he thinks he wasn't worth the cost."

Gabriel sighed. "I know the feeling," he said softly before looking up. "Well," he said in a louder tone, "your dad's in heaven now, so him calling doesn't make much sense…"

"None of this makes much sense," Sam pointed out, moving to sit by his angel.

Gabriel snuggled against Sam's side. "Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out. Let's get researching."

It was several hours later that Dean got back, hiding a grin as he asked "Find anything?"

Sam, not looking up, leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "After three hours I have found no reason why anything supernatural should be happening here."

Dean shook his head "Well, you know, you think a Stanford education and a high school hook up rate of zero point zero would produce better results than that."

Sam glared at his brother. "Hilarious," he said dryly.

"Sammy, you're just looking in the wrong places, pal," Dean replied.

"And what are the right places, Dean?" Sam asked crossley.

Dean reached into his jacket. "The hotel pamphlet rack." He pulled out a paper and held it out to Sam.

Sam raised an eyebrow "General Woo's fantastic Sushi?" He asked in confusion.

Dean looked at the take out menu before patting at his pockets quickly.

"Thomas Edison House," Gabriel read from his place on the bed.

Dean spun to glare at the trickster angel.

"Holding many of his inventions, including his infamous 'spirit phone'. Huh… never knew he finished it…"

Dean turned back to Sam angrily. "Can't you stop him from doing that?" he asked crossley.

Sam shook his head. "Not really." He looked to Gabriel. "Spirit phone?"

Gabriel nodded. "I remember hearing him talk about making it but… I didn't think he actually meant it."

Sam's eyebrows rose. "You knew Edison?"

Gabriel tried to hide a grin with a guilty looking grimace. "It was late, I'd poofed more than a few bottles of the good stuff… he brainstormed…"

"Point is," Dean cut in, snatching the pamphlet back out of the angel's hand, "it's the best lead we've got. The only lead."

The next day, the three of them took the tour of the house.

"And we're walking," the overly cheerful young guide said. "And, here we have one of the museum's most unique and treasured possessions. Thomas Edison's "spirit phone."" She made little air quotes in the air as she said it. "Did you know that Mr. Edison, as well as being one of America's most beloved inventors, was also a devout occultist? Ooh!" 

Some of the guests chuckled weakly at her attempt at humor.

"What's with the quotey fingers?" Dean grumbled to Sam.

"He spent years working on this," she continued, "his final invention, which he was convinced could be used to "communicate with the dead."" More air quotes. "Pretty spooky, huh?" She checked her watch and twirled her finger to motion them to the next room. "And we're walking. We are walking. We're walking. And we're not touching that. And we're walking..." 

Gabriel moved over to the door of the room to stand watch as Sam pulled out his emf reader.

"Anything?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed, "Nothing…"

"What do you think then?" Gabriel asked softly.

"Honestly? It kinda looks like a pile of old junk to me," Sam grumbled.

"It's not even plugged in," Dean said.

"Maybe it didn't work like that," Sam reasoned.

"Okay," Dean said. "Maybe it's like a radio tower, broadcasting the dead all over town."

Sam shrugged. "Could be."

"You know, this caller I.D. is 100 years old, right? Right around the time this thing was built," Dean pointed out.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, but why would it all of a sudden start working now?"

"I don't know," Dean said gruffly, "But as long as the mouldy are calling the freshers around here it's the best reason we've got."

"Yeah, maybe," Sam said 

"So maybe it really is Dad," Dean said softly before both brothers noticed Gabriel watching them with a smile on his face.

"What?" they said in unison, glancing at each other and back to him.

"You guys are so cute when your working stuff out," Gabriel replied, still smiling. "You work so well together…"

Dean rolled his eyes and turned away, barely hiding the smile.

Later that night, while Sam was asleep, Dean got another phone call, Gabriel sat up, careful not to jostle Sam and wake him, looking at Dean curiously.

The phone display showed 'SHA33'. Dean snatched it off the bedside table and headed into the bathroom.

"Dad?" Dean whispered.

"Dean," John's voice came through the static.

"Is it really you?" Dean asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"It's me," John said, voice becoming clearer.

Dean shook his head. "How can I be sure?"

"You can't," John's voice continued. "Dean, how could you let it happen?"

"What?" Dean asked.

"Getting marked like that…" John said.

Dean shook his head again. "I was looking after Sam, like you told me to."

"I never wanted this. Never. You're my boy, I love you. I can't watch you to go to Hell, Dean."

Dean's teeth clenched as he fought back the emotions. "I'm sorry. I can't stop it."

"Because that Trickster said you can't?" John said with a scoff

"What?" Dean asked. "How do you know about-"

"Well I know a way out. For both of you."

Dean glanced at the closed bathroom door and lowered his voice more, "How?"

"The demon who holds your contract. She's here. Now."

Dean explained everything to Sam and Gabriel the next day.

"Lilith? Here?" Sam asked in shock.

Gabriel shook his head. "No. No way. I would sense her if she was."

"And would you really tell us if you did?" Dean growled.

"Dean, what… what are you saying?" Sam asked, standing up from where he'd been tying his shoe.

"I'm saying that dad has a way out, a way he," Dean paused to point at Gabriel, "couldn't, or wouldn't, tell us about."

Gabriel blinked. "Why would I keep it from you? I told you I wouldn't stop looking for a way to stop it."

Dean grabbed some papers off the table and shoved them into Sam's hands.

"What is this?" Sam asked, looking through them. "Weather reports?"

"Omens," Dean said pointedly, moving to his bag. "Demonic omens. Electric storms everywhere we've been for the past two weeks."

"Uh, I don't remember any lightning storms," Sam said, looking up from the papers with a frown.

"Well, I don't remember you studying meteorology as a kid either," Dean snapped back. "But I'm telling you, that bitch's been tailing me...wearing some poor sap's meat."

Gabriel shook his head. "Lilith is the oldest demon… Her signs are much bigger than that…"

"And even if it was her, what makes you think she'd be following you around herself?" Sam asked, putting the papers back on the table.

Gabriel was silent, sending his grace out to see if he could sense any kind of demon around, Lilith or otherwise.

Dean scoffed, grabbing his jacket and turning to leave before Sam grabbed his arm.

"What kind of omens would Lilith have?" Sam asked.

Gabriel looked thoughtful. "Lilith's omens are a lot more powerful than a normal demon's… we're talking… tornadoes or floods… not to mention missing babies and whole families suddenly vanishing…"

"Missing babies?" Sam asked in confusion.

Gabriel grimaced. "Let's just say… demons have a whole different kind of 'sweet tooth'."

Sam looked sick, about to ask something else when his phone rang. "Hello? Whoa whoa, Lanie, slow down. What happened? Ok, just wait there, I'll be right over."

He hung up with a sigh. "That girl Lanie's mom's ghost spooked her really bad last night…"

"That's too bad," Dean said indifferently. "Can we get back to the point of me having a smoky stalker?"

Sam stared at his brother in disbelief for a moment.

"Don't get too excited, Sammy. Might pull something," Dean grumbled, pulling out a piece of paper. "Dad gave me this exorcism that should kill it. If we get this bitch, it's Miller time!"

Sam shook his head. "An exorcism that can kill it?"

Gabriel stood, glancing at the paper, nodding. "That's fifteenth century… heavy duty dark ages… but I don't think it's enough to kill Lil-"

"And how would you know?!" Dean snapped. "The only one of us who has actually been to hell is Dad. And maybe he picked up a couple of tricks down there, like which exorcisms work."

Gabriel took a step back in surprise when Dean snapped.

"We need to be sure-" Sam started.

"Why aren't we sure?" Dean shot at his brother.

"Cause I don't know what's going on around here, Dean!" Sam said in exasperation. "I mean, some guy blows his brains out, a little girl is scared out of her wits."

Dean scoffed. "Wow, a couple of civvies are freaked out by some ghosts. News flash, Sam, people are supposed to be freaked out by ghosts!"

Sam and Gabriel stared at him for a long moment until Dean dropped his head in frustration.

"Dad tell you where to find the demon?" Sam asked, still not trusting this.

"I'm waiting on the call!" Dean growled, holding up his cell in emphasis.

"I told Lanie I'd stop by," Sam said softly, reaching for his keys

"Oh, good. Yeah," Dean said sarcastically. "No you go hang out with jailbait. Just, uh, watch out for Chris Hansen. Meanwhile I'll be here getting ready to, you know, save my life."

Sam turned and kept moving toward the door.

"You're unbelievable, you know that?" Dean yelled at him. "I mean for months we've been trying to break this demon deal. Now Dad's about to give us the freaking address and you can't accept it? The man is dead and you're still butting heads with the guy!"

Sam turned to face him. "That is not what this is about."

"So what is it?" Dean bellowed.

"The fact is we've got no hard proof here, Dean," Sam said desperately. "After everything, you're still just going on blind faith!"

"Yeah, well maybe! You know, maybe that's all I got, okay?" Dean yelled back.

They stared at each other again until Dean looked down.

"Please. Just please don't go anywhere until I get back. Okay, Dean? Please." Sam said softly.

Dean remained silent. Sam shook his head and turned for the door. Dean watched him go and continued staring at the door for a long moment. He shook his head and moved to sit heavily at the table.

Gabriel sat on the bed again, grace searching slowly around them.

Dean grumbled and paced around the room, wanting nothing more than to grab his jacket and leave, but he knew the damned trickster angel would call Sam up the minute he shut the door behind himself. About the time he decided to say he was going out for booze, Gabriel choked sharply, almost like he was going to throw up, covering his nose briefly before shaking his head and sighing.

"Ugh! Why must it-" Gabriel shook his head again slightly and pulling out his phone. "Sam, I think I've got something."

"Yeah, me too." Sam said. "Lanie says that the one calling her seemed just like her mom at first, but now they're asking her to take all of her dads sleeping pills, to "come to me"."

"It's not her mother," Gabriel said sharply. "Don't let them talk on the phone, you need to get them out."

There was a moment of quiet scuffling before Sam questioned, "Lanie?"

Then Gabriel heard the panicked girls voice. "Where's Simon?"

Gabriel dropped the phone in his rush to take flight.  _ It must have called her brother, too… Need to find… there! _ He dove down, grabbing the kid and pulling him away from the oncoming truck and onto the grass.

"Gabriel! Simon!" Sam called as he hurried over with Lanie who rushed forward and hugged her brother tightly.

"It's a crocotta…" Gabriel said to Sam softly, eyes flashing. "And it has thoroughly pissed me off."

\---

Dean answered his phone. "Dad?"

"I have the address," John's voice cut through the static. "Are you ready?"

\---

Gabriel stiffened, cursing softly and rubbing his head. "Dean just left the hotel… I can't track him anymore. The signals in and around this town are all scrambled!" He sighed sharply, wishing he had only figured this out sooner.

Sam dialed his phone quickly. "Dean, it's not Dad."

"Then what is it?" Dean asked gruffly.

"A crocotta," Sam said 

"Is that a sandwich?" Dean asked.

"Some kind of scavenger," Sam replied quickly. "Mimics loved ones, whispers 'Come to me', then lures you into the dark and swallows your soul. Gabe figured it out."

"A crocotta," Dean said, as if remembering. "Right… damn that makes sense."

Sam sighed. "Dean, look, I'm sorry man, I know-"

Dean hurried on as if avoiding thinking about it. "Hey, don't these things live in filth?"

"Yeah," Sam acknowledged quickly, letting it go.

"Sam, the flies at the phone company," Dean said.

"Right! That could be it, Dean! Meet you there!" He hung up, looking at Gabriel.

Gabriel looked back, looking worried.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Dean knew about the crocotta?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah…" Sam said slowly. "He thinks it's the guy at the phone company because they-"

"Live in filth," Gabriel said. "I know… but how did he?" A moment of silence followed before he sighed. "Think, Sam. When has Dean known more lore than you? He hates research… besides, he didn't even know what you meant when the call started."

Sam's eyes widened. "Y-you think it-"

Gabriel nodded slightly. "I think the monster is pretending to be your brother…"

Sam nodded. "Then it wants us to go back to the phone company. But why would it tell us where it is?"

"Best way to plan an ambush is to influence where the prey is gonna be, and when," Gabriel said, sounding like he spoke from experience.

"So… we ambush the ambusher?" Sam suggested.

Gabriel sighed softly. "Yeah… there's one thing though…" 

"What?"

"Where… is the real Dean…" Gabriel said softly.

Realization seemed to dawn on Sam's face. "He thinks he's going to kill…" He had to stop and shake his head, his expression dropping. "That spell wouldn't work, even if she was here. That's what you were going to say before, isn't it?"

Gabriel nodded slightly. "Like I said before… Lilith is one of the oldest demons in existence, the longer demons live, the stronger they become…"

Sam looked away down the street, as if hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother. "That spell… would it do anything to someone who wasn't a demon?"

Gabriel sighed. "Slight headache… ringing ears maybe… but nothing serious or long term."

Sam shook his head and faced Gabriel. "We need to get to the phone company. If we can take out the crocotta fast enough, maybe we can get ahold of Dean before he does anything worse."

Gabriel nods raising his hand before pausing. "Angel highway? Or car?"

"The faster the-" Sam started, but finished his sentence across the street from the phone company building. "Better." He gave his angel a grin before sobering up. "How do we kill it?"

"Stake," Gabriel said, pulling two metal ones out of thin air, "through the back. The spine needs to be severed."

Sam took one and nodded. He lead the way toward the front door.

As they moved toward the building, the worker they'd met earlier, Stewie, came out and headed for his car.

Sam motioned for Gabriel to flank before moving up behind Stewie.

Gabriel did as Sam said, watching Stewie closely.

As Stewie unlocked his car, Sam rushed him, pushing him into the car and holding the metal spike Gabriel had given him the back of his neck.

Stewie grunted sharply. "What the hell!"

"I know what you are," Sam growled at him.

Stewie struggled, "Wait, mister."

Sam pressed the stake closer. "And I know how to kill you."

"Please," Stewie pleaded, almost hysterical. "Okay, wait, wait. If we're overcharging you for the call waiting or something I...I can fix that. I am your friend!"

Sam glanced back at Gabriel, confused. Gabriel narrowed his eyes slightly, concentrating.

"Please. Please just don't kill me!" Stewie cried.

"It's not him," Gabriel said softly, almost in disbelief. "Sam, it's not-!" Gabriel started to turn away and hurry to the building when the manager that had lead them to Stewie earlier, and who had snuck up behind them, swung a bat at his head. Gabriel staggered, holding his head.

"No!" Sam shouted, lunging at the manager.

The manager seemed surprised it didn't knock him out but quickly turned to Sam, raising the weapon again.

Sam plowed into him like a truck, tackling him to the ground and knocking it out of his hands. As Gabriel straightened up, hand still on his head, he saw Stewie pick it up.

Gabriel brought his hand up, the bat flying from Stewie's hand to his own, eyes bright, though his head was pounding. "Leave."

Stewie stared for a moment before turning and running for the building. A laugh behind Gabriel had him turning.

"None of this matters," The manager growled. "Your brother is already dead!"

\---

Dean slammed through a glass door, grappling with the demon. Dean quickly reached for the groggy man's belt, pulling out a handgun, flicking the cartridge out and tossing it aside. As the man struggled to get to his feet, covered in glass, Dean pulled back the rug, showing the devil’s trap he'd sprayed onto the floor. He turned away, pulling the exorcism out of his pocket. The demon looked at the floor.

"What is this?" He asked, confused.

Dean smirked. "Your funeral."

Dean begins the exorcism in Latin as the demon glared at him and slowly moves forward out of the circle.

The demon, no… the man… said, "You do this to my daughter, too?"

Dean stared at the devil's trap. "How the hell did you get out?"

"Did you do this to my daughter, too?" The man shouted.

Dean backed up a step. "Wait, this is a mistake."

"You killed her!!" The man screamed.

"No, wait," Dean managed before the man tackled him.

"She was 9 years old!!" The man yelled, punching Dean.

"Stop! I didn't! You gotta believe me!" Dean yelled, trying to fend off the man's frenzied punches as he kept hitting him.

The man began crying. "Why did you kill her?" He sobbed as he kept punching.

"I didn't kill your daughter," Dean growled.

"Then what are you doing here?!" He yelled.

"I don't know," Dean yelled in anguish.

The man suddenly slumped over. Dean looked up, Gabriel was standing over them, two fingers pressed to the man's forehead.

"Wait! It's just a guy!" Dean shouted.

Gabriel smiled wryly. "He's just sleeping," he promised, catching the man and picking him up like a child. "He'll wake up and think this was all some crazy bad dream." Dean nodded, relaxing as he tried to catch his breath.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked, hurrying forward from the door Gabriel had left open.

Dean nodded, getting to his feet and brushing glass off. "Should've listened to you… of course it wouldn't be this easy…"

"Dean," Sam started, but Dean waved him off as he went to gather up his things from the false hunt.

Gabriel came back down and started mending the broken window and removing the painted trap from the hardwood, glancing at Dean every now and then but not saying anything.

Once they had finished the cleanup, Gabriel sent Sam and Dean back to the hotel while he took care of the man's memory.

As Dean cleaned a cut on his forehead in the hotel bathroom, he saw in the mirror as Sam entered behind him.

"I see they improved your face," Dean said, looking at the bruise and knot forming from the baseball bat.

Sam sniggered and said, "Right back at ya."

Dean dropped the bloodied washcloth in the sink and moved past Sam into the main room. Sam followed as Gabriel appeared in the room, arms crossed. Dean sighed as he sat on one of the beds. Sam sat on the other, watching Gabriel with worried eyes. He could practically feel anger radiating off of him like heat.

Dean seemed not to notice as he asked, "So, crocotta, huh?" Sam nodded. "Guess that would explain the flies."

"Ya, it would," Sam agreed.

"Doesn't explain why you're such an idiot, though," Gabriel said from where he still stood. The words weren't loud or harsh, but Dean flinched.

"Gabriel," Sam said softly.

"No," Dean said, looking down. "He's right. You were right, and I didn't listen. I gave you a hell of a time on this one."

"Forget about it," Sam urged.

"I can't!" Dean snapped. He took a slow breath to level his head. "I can't. I wanted to believe so bad that there was a way outta this. I mean, I'm staring down the barrel of this thing. You know, Hell. For real… forever… and I just…"

"Gabriel said he would…" Sam started but the words seemed to die in his throat. They both knew Gabriel was nowhere near full power, and neither knew if he was actually strong enough to storm Hell for one soul.

Gabriel's arms dropped from folded to his sides. Sam could feel the anger leaving him. He knew what the boys were thinking, and he knew he would do anything for Sam, but part of him wondered if he would survive it.

Dean swallowed hard, feeling the tears in his eyes. "I'm... I'm really scared."

"I know," Sam said, also tearing up.

"I guess I was willing to believe anything. You know, one last act of a desperate man," Dean scoffed at that last part.

"There's nothing wrong with having hope, Dean," Sam said gently.

"Hope doesn't get you jack squat," Dean said bitterly. "I can't expect dad to show up with some miracle at the last minute. I can't expect anybody to, you know. I mean, the only person who can get me out of this thing… is me."

"And me," Sam said earnestly.

"And me," Gabriel agreed.

"And me?" Dean asked with a somewhat bitter laugh.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Deep revelation, having a real moment here, that's what you two come back with? 'And me?' What is this, the Fellowship?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Uh… do you want a poem?"

"I'm pretty good with a power ballad," Gabriel piped up with a slight smile.

Dean shook his head. "The moment's gone." He grabbed the remote and flicked on the crappy tv.

Gabriel summoned three beers, handing one to Dean and Sam. "Long day…" he said simply, sitting next to Sam and opening a drink himself. "Long, long day…" 

"I'll drink to that," Dean said, opening his.

"For what it's worth," Gabriel said after they all lowered their bottles again, "John's not hanging around. He's upstairs now."

Dean watched him for a moment, as if to see if he was lying. "Good. You think he found mom there?"

Gabriel didn't say anything for a long time. Eventually he only said, "Maybe. Love finds a way..."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks everyone for the love you've shown for this series, we have at least two more chapters in the works right now so hopefully we'll get those to you soon!


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